Need Me to Survive
by allblue95
Summary: Wandering the moor without any hope to survive, help is closer than he thinks. Silva/Oc. T now, might change to M later on.
1. Chapter 1

A quick attempt at a Silva/Oc. needs more of those!

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Chapter 1

The winter was stubborn this year, the cold wind biting at Emanuelle's skin whenever she even imagined going outside. _'Why the hell do I live in Scotland in the first place?'_ Of course, she knew why. It was a safe place, especially if you knew the terrain like the back of your hand, better even. The perfect place to hide away when men with big guns came after you. Or so her aunt seemed to think. The woman was very strange and never made any sense. But she seemed to have a high IQ which just made it harder for Emanuelle, or Ema as she preferred to be called, to keep up when she shipped her off to some undisclosed location for weeks at a time. "Vacation." Hah! The woman didn't even know the meaning of the word!

It was a clear sky when Ema left the small two-story house, but after only half an hour she could see the beginnings of a full blown snow storm on the horizon. Not good. Not good at all. It would hit her house in about forty minutes, she would have to cut this trip short. Turning on her heel she searched the moor for the fastest route home. But in her search for the best path she saw something very unusual. It was a man, quite obvious too judging by his broad shoulders and tall stature. He stuck out like a sore thumb in the grey landscape, dressed all in black. He was wandering aimlessly by the looks of it, he looked very weak. Clicking her tongue in thought Ema looked to the impending storm, and back to the man. If she didn't help him she might has well have killed him herself. No, she needed to help this man. Decision made she took off running towards him, just in time too as she saw him fall. It seemed to happen in slow motion, one of those sad pictures that show a broken man left to die. He stumbled a few more steps, struggling on his feet, then his knees and then he fell into the snow. Ema reached him just as he hit the dirt. She tugged him onto his back.

" Sir? Sir, can you hear me? Come on, I need you to hear me! " Gently slapping his left cheek she checked his pulse, it beat steadily thank god. " For god's bloody sake sir, wake the hell UP!" At this he opened his eyes, brown orbs focusing on her immediately. Slightly unnerved but pleased Ema started helping him up.

" There's a snow storm coming, we need to get you out of here. I need you to help me, you're too heavy for me to carry. I'll support some of your weight but you'll need to walk. Can you do that?" She was almost shouting now as the wind picked up, so she barely heard his answer.

" There is no "we", there is just the You. Why do You need Me to survive, little girl?" That was all he said before he picked himself up and with Ema's help started walking across the moors. They were both silent the rest of the way, the strange man out of exhaustion and Ema knew it was useless to try to talk in this weather. Thirty minutes later they reached the house, Ema leaning the man against the wall while she unlocked the heavy oak door and then helped him inside. _'Thank the lord for guest rooms!'_ She sat the man down on the twin sized bed, steadying him by a firm hold on his shoulders which, if he had been more aware of his surroundings, would have impressed him.

" You need to take your jacket and shirt off, you're bleeding from your upper body." He looked at her for a moment, then at the room, before his eyes closed and his body became limp. Ema guessed he finally felt safe enough to give in to rest. His body fell backwards onto the bed, completely relaxed. Ema sighed. "Crap."

Twenty minutes later she had managed to move him so his whole body was lying on the bed, his head on the pillow and his jacket and the shirt he had beneath it on the floor. She got her medical kit from the kitchen. It wasn't an ordinary first aid kit either, oh no. Emanuelle had once been a nurse, having studied to become a doctor but never got accepted. So she became a nurse with the knowledge of a doctor. _'Shitty education system'_

She got to work, cleaning the dried blood and grime off of his skin, revealing a strong chest that made Ema swallow thickly. But what she saw next confused and worried her.

Littered across his body were a seemingly endless amount of scars of every imaginable shape and size. Some Ema could tell was from a knife, others from bullets. A few of them appeared to come from acid, and some she couldn't even begin to guess how he'd gotten. Shaking her head sadly she turned back to his wounds. The right side of his face had blood running down it, probably from a smaller wound at his temple. That could wait. His front was littered with bruises and his knuckles were slightly burnt. With a grunt and a struggle she turned him over on his stomach, gasping at the large wound in his left shoulder. It was gaping open, blood and puss seeping out. How long had he been wandering the moor before she found him?

No matter, he was here now. Putting on some gloves she got to work on cleaning and stitching the wound up. It took her the better part of an hour to close it properly. Hopefully the scarring wouldn't be too bad. She put on clean gloves and washed his other smaller wounds, wrapping his ribs with gauze when she found a crack in one of them. His back was similar to his front in the form of scars, but more of these were clearly from a knife, some stretching over a decimetre of skin. Ema avoided thinking of how he got them, getting the feeling she was better off in blissful ignorance. Even though "knowledge is power" and all that Ema had no interest in pure speculations.

Taking a step back she surveyed her work, deciding that she had done all she could at the moment. For a minute she simply stood staring at him, finally taking in his face. Slightly bulging eyes, a nice nose, very strong chin and eyebrows. Thick blond hair frame it. All in all, he was quite handsome. _'Oh for god's sake, none of that now! You just saved him from almost certain death, this is no time to admire his features! '_ She pulled the duvet over him, making sure he was warm before she left the room, closing the door behind her.

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So, good? Bad? Uninteresting? Intriguing? I don't know how long this story will be, probably not that long. But I noticed there aren't that many Silva/oc stories out there and wanted to at least try to inspire people to maybe write a few more. :) Let me know what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

I am on fire! (It might have something to do with me being home from school today, and that's why I have the time to write everything down. :P )

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Chapter 2

Twelve hours had gone by and it was time to check on her mystery man. Pouring a glass of water and grabbing some vitamins and painkillers she went to his room. It was dark by now and if he wasn't already awake she didn't want to risk doing so by turning on the light, so the only light in the room came from the moon outside. Ema carefully walked to his side, the thick socks on her feet muffling her steps. Setting the glass and pills down on the bed side table she furrowed her brows in confusion. Odd, she was sure she had rolled him onto his right side to avoid aggravating his wound. He should have his back turned towards her, and yet when she looked at him he was lying on his back, his left hand resting on his hip bone. Ema leaned her head to the side slightly in thought until she shrugged and went to pull the duvet back up to his shoulders. She knew she would need to change these sheets later, parts were stained with blood. Her thought process was abruptly put to an end as a large, huge even, hand grabbed the back of her neck in a vice like grip, pulling her face closer to his, the other hand clamping down on her jaw and over her mouth. He could snap her neck if he wished.

" Not a word. Understood?" Ema nodded as much as she could. " I don't think you underestimate your situation here. I may be wounded but you are still no match for me. Now, who do you work for? " He was met with a look of ultimate confusion. _'Who do I work for? What the hell?'_ Then suddenly it dawned on her: he didn't remember the snow storm, the house. He thought he was a prisoner. She felt her heart beat slow down a bit, calm soaking into her eyes. The man stared at her intensely, brown eyes glinting from the shadows, observing every emotion flickering across her moonlit face. He raised his eyebrows, his hold on her mouth moving down to her throat so she could speak. She knew her choice of words would be crucial, however she didn't wish to appear a coward.

" I work for no man. I found you wandering the moor, delirious and bleeding in the cold. I cleaned your wounds and left you to sleep. That is all. Now, would you let please let go of my head? Since you are awake and have...moved around a bit you might have aggravated your stitches. " The man's eyes widened, an amused expression adorning his still shadowed features before he chuckled. It was a low sinister chuckles, and yet it felt to Ema that she was off the hook. For now at least. "My stitches are fine. " He let go of her head and neck, reluctantly, letting his fingers drag through her red hair as she pulled away. " I can feel them. They are fine." He smiled up at her. It was Ema's turn to raise an eyebrow in amusement.

" Well I would prefer to check them myself and at least change the dressing. It was bleeding badly when I found you." She moved to turn on the lights by the door when she felt him grab her wrist. His hand circled it easily. She hadn't even heard the ruffle of the sheets when he sat up.

" Please, leave it. The moon will serve, yes?" His spanish decent was obvious now that he was speaking, it felt soothing somehow. She clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth a few times in thought before sighing.

" For now, but I will need to look at it more thoroughly in the morning. Agreed? " He smiled in contentment.

" Agreed."

" I'll go get fresh supplies." She scuttled off to the bathroom, taking deep breaths. _'Don't panic,don't panic. You're okay. It seemed you passed his strange idea of a test. Just be cool.'_ When she returned he was sat on the bed with his back to the window, his body in a Buddha-like position, legs indian style. He had excellent posture, bathing in the moonlight and he was looking right at her. The spell was broken when he smiled condescendingly.

" Come come darling, I don't bite." Ema pursed her lips in annoyance, moving to sit behind him on the bed.

" I have a name, and it's not "darling"." His head turned slightly to show his interest.

" Oh? Then pray tell me, what is it?" She couldn't discern if he was toying with her or if he actually was curious. It was probably the former. Ema removed the dressing. It was bloody but the wound appeared to be fine, the stitches still in position.

" Emanuelle." She saw his jaw muscles tense for a split second before relaxing once more.

" Just Emanuelle? " She felt herself shiver as he said her name with that accent, putting emphasis on the a instead of the elle.

" Too much too soon. " He turned back to staring ahead of him. "What about you? Who are you?"

" Now that is an entirely different question to what my name is. A name is What but, Who? Completely different, Emanuelle." Different emphasis again, he seemed to be trying the name out, bending it to see how pliable it was. She huffed.

" Alright, What is your name then?" He seemed to contemplate this for a moment.

" Tiago."

" Just Tiago?" She smirked as it was his time to huff slightly. _'Is that even your real name, mr. Mystery?'_ She replaced the dressing. " There, all done. How do you feel in general?"

" Slightly sore." Ema moved off the bed, looking at him pointedly.

" Just slightly, Mr. Tiago?" He looked up at her and smirked, the moon illuminating his profile.

" Just slightly. Darling." She glared slightly as she packed the med kit again.

" Good night then. I'll see you tomorrow, assuming you'll still be here then. Try to sleep, and take those pills and the water, you'll need it. " He nodded at her before she disappeared out the door.

Emanuelle didn't sleep much that night, and when she finally did she slept light. She woke up late the next day, feeling like she'd been run over. Checking her clock it showed 12:30. Eyes widening she groaned and turned to lie on her back. The daylight didn't last long this time of year so Ema usually got up early. She couldn't remember when she had last slept this long. _'And all because of an injured stranger with a wonderful accent'_.

Tiago. A curious name indeed. Speaking of Tiago, she should be checking up on him. Getting dressed in cotton pants that looked like they were from the 1940's and a green flannel shirt, thick riding socks on her feet, she made for the guest room.

As she got closer the sound of heavy breathing became more and more prominent and Ema opened the door to find that Tiago had kicked the duvet to the floor in his sleep, a thin sheen of sweat glistening on his skin. " Shit, shit, shit!" She hurried to his side, pulling the duvet back over him. He was burning up. She ran to get the med kit and a glass of water, and when she returned Tiago was struggling in the sheets against an enemy in his mind. She put a palm against his forehead, resting it gently there to get him to relax. It worked long enough for her to clean the stitches but as soon as she was done he returned to thrashing about. She tried to grab his arms, pulling them away from the duvet.

" Tiago! Listen to me! You're delirious, it's not real. You're gonna rip your stitches if you keep this up. Stop it! " She climbed up beside his head to hold his chest down when he almost rolled over the side of the bed. His hands left the sheets, instead finding purchase around her waist as his face disappeared against her stomach, hiding it from the world. She simply stared at him for a moment. What happened? His previously tense body was now slowly relaxing with every breath he took.

" Tiago-" She tried to pry his arms off but they only tightened around her, refusing to let go. Like a child clinging to it's mother. Ema looked at his bandaged, bruised and scarred back, and sighed. Moving more to the middle of the bed she got comfortable against the headrest, Tiago's head in her lap, his forehead resting against her hipbone as the rest of his body lay sprawled across the bed, his upper body nestled in between her legs, the duvet covering up to his ribs. She snuggled her feet down under it so as to not get cold.

A few minutes later Tiago had completely relaxed, but his arms were still secure around her, keeping her in place. He looked dead to the world. Knowing that he probably wouldn't wake up for a long while Ema lightly stroked his hair once, checking to see if he would jump up and strangle her to death. It would seem that no, no he wouldn't. She did it again, and again, and again, until she was running her fingers through the blonde mop. It was even thicker than it had initially looked and even with all the dirt and blood in it, it was still very soft. Ema felt herself gradually relaxing as well, allowing a strange sense of calm to wrap around her, time seemingly slowing down in the small room.

The sun reached it's peak and had set, the hours passing and allowing the moonlight to once more fill the room with it's mystical glow before either of them moved. The fingers of her left hand had found the particularly delicate hairs on his neck, lightly wrapping them around the fingers before releasing them and then doing it all over again. She wondered about the scars clearly visible on his back, creating hints of shadows against his skin. The nails of her right hand scratched his scalp lightly and she nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard, or more like felt, a low groan against her stomach, and hands opening across the bare skin of her hips and lower back, an accented voice vibrating throughout her body.

" Mmmmm, that feels very nice..."


	3. Chapter 3

Sadly, I own nothing!... Except for Ema.

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Chapter 3

Ema squeaked, the muscles of her abdomen twitching, alerting him of her surprise. Tiago raised his eyes to her face, taking in her wide eyes. " Hello Emanuelle." He watched as the horrified expression on her face changed into one of aggravation.

" Don't "Hello" me! Insufferable man! How long have you Really been awake? Eh?" Ema tried to untangle herself from the half-naked man, pushing on his shoulders, but he would have none of it, her legs trapped underneath his upper arms, hands grabbing her hip bones, keeping her seated. " Calm down,my dear. I promise you, I only just woke up, and I am quite ignorant as to how we got in this comfortable position? Would you care to enlighten me? " He now looked perfectly amiable, genuinely confused.

" You mean you don't remember? When I came to check on you you had a fever, thrashing about on and pulling at the sheets like a madman, utterly delirious. I calmed you long enough to clean your stitches, which by some miracle were still intact!, but then you started thrashing again. You were about to roll off the bed and when I tried to prevent it you grabbed my waist and wouldn't let go. Hence." She gestured at their position. Tiago looked puzzled. " Did I say anything? In my delirium? " Ema thought she could detect a hint of worry, almost panic, in his voice, his shoulders tensing slightly under her hands.

" Nothing, or no clear words at least. Just random noises of pain and distress." She felt him relax and he rested his right cheek on her left thigh.

" Good." They sat in silence, for a minute or two, before Tiago looked up at her again. " By the way, why did you save me? I can't have looked that friendly, all bloody and messy." Ema laughed softly.

" Yeah you did look a little threatening, now that I think back on it, wearing only black. But I didn't think about it at the time. I guess I reasoned that if I left you then I might as well have killed you there and then myself. I have never killed anyone in my life and leaving a man to die would certainly break that streak. " Her voice had turned more serious as she spoke, eyes drifting. When she looked back at him he was frowning.

" It was an honourable thing to do, but foolish." His tone was deceptively light. " You had no idea who I was, you still don't, and yet even though you could easily tell that I could only mean trouble you took me in. " His fingers lightly stroked the skin of her back and he smirked slightly when he felt the shiver running down her spine. " I owe you, Emanuelle. " But she shook her head.

" There is no debt, Tiago. I merely did what I thought was right at the time. "

" And still, it is more than most would have done. Your strong sense of morale is impressive. " Ema huffed, for some reason it felt like he was belittling her. She didn't know why, maybe it was something in his tone.

" Yeah well, that's me. Now, it's quite late and neither of use have eaten in a long time. I'm hungry and intend to go and cook something." She bent her arms around her back, intent on removing his hands herself but he grabbed her wrists, bringing them up front. To Ema's astonishment he kissed both her wrists which looked dwarf-like in his giant hands, a deep red blush settling onto her cheeks at the intimate gesture. Then he moved off of her easily but carefully as he seemed to finally be feeling the pain of the bruises and the wounds. " Do you need any painkillers? " She could still see the strength behind his every move, this was a man in his prime.

" No thank you, I have dealt with worse. It is not necessary. " Ema moved towards the door, legs prickling as the circulation came back to them. She stretched, arching her back with her arms above her head.

" Okay, I'll go and find you something else to wear. I'm guessing those pants aren't exactly clean, judging by the state your shirt is in. " She held up said item, mud sticking to the dark cloth. Tiago chuckled. " That would be most welcome, thank you." Ema smiled.

" I'll try to wash this but I can't promise I'll be able to remove the blood." The answer was immediate.

" Let it soak in hot water, soap and some ammonia for a while and then scrub it lightly. " To him the subject seemed commonplace and he realized just how peculiar the answer seemed to Ema when he saw her expression. Her eyebrows looked like they would leave her forehead altogether. He smiled lightly at her shocked face but said nothing more.

" Uhh, right. Okay. I'll be back in a mo. " She hurried out the door, much to Tiago's amusement.

Throwing the dirty shirt on the floor by the washer Ema went to her closet in search for her ex boyfriend's clothes. He came to the cabin once to spend some time with her for a week or two but the relationship ended abruptly with Ema catching him talking to his "sister" on the phone on evening number 1. The ass tried to defend himself but who the hell talks dirty to their sister?! Yuk! Just-ugh! So, she had kicked him out in the middle of the night, wearing only a pair of pants, in the middle of december, throwing his wallet and car keys out after him. He never returned for his clothes.

Pulling out a long sleeved beige t-shirt, a pair of black khaki's and some underwear and socks she returned to the guest room where Tiago was just getting up, one hand against the wall beside the bed, getting his bearings.

" Here, I hope these will fit. " She put them on the bed.

" Thank you very much." he smiled at her again. She stood there and watched him for a moment.

" You smile a lot, you know that?" He smiled even bigger, this one slightly creepy with the moonlight behind him.

" Is it making you nervous?"

Ema stuttered, a small blush appearing on her cheeks, clearly nervous. Thank god for the darkness of the night! " W-well, no. It's just...unusual I guess... Never mind. If you want to take a shower the bathroom is to the right when you step out the door. You'll find towels and deodorant and stuff like that in the uh..cabinets. " She hurried out before he could say anything to further embarrass her.

Twenty minutes later Tiago emerged, fully dressed, fussing with the sleeves a bit. He had even shaved, probably found her stash of razors. His hair was slicked back but it still had some volume, she could see his whole face better , and it was first now that Ema realized just HOW handsome he really was. Swallowing she turned back to the stew on the stove, trying to focus on anything but the gorgeous man walking towards her.

" The clothes fit okay?"

" Perfectly, though the shirt is a little tight over the shoulders. Who did they belong to, if I may ask?" He looked truly curious. Ema shrugged with one shoulder.

" An ex-boyfriend."

" But if he is an ex, how come his clothes are not with him?" Ema snorted in rememberance.

" Because he was... abruptly thrown out. " Tiago chuckled as well.

" I see. And he did not return for them? "

" When you're thrown out in the middle of the night, in twenty degrees celsius below zero, clad only in your trousers and forced to drive in a cold car for five hours, I don't think you'd ever want to come back." At this Tiago laughed, a loud but warm sound, his head thrown slightly back. Ema was forced to laugh with him, it was simply contagious. Once he calmed down he had small tears in the corners of his eyes and was still chuckling softly.

" What a pathetic man. " At this Ema smiled big.

" Very pathetic indeed. Or as Audrey Hepburn would have said, " A super-rat!" " Tiago laughed again but soon calmed down, looking at her curiously.

" Whatever did he do to deserve such harsh treatment?" His tone was laced with fake scolding. Ema sobered a little, her smile now more bitter than amused.

" It was nothing really. " Tiago must have noticed the change in her demeanour for he went to stand beside her by the stove, leaning against the counter facing her, arms crossed over his broad chest.

" My dear, a woman doesn't throw her lover out the door in the freezing cold and leave him there without a reason. Now, the truth?" Ema bit her tongue, why was he so curious?

" Well, it was his first evening here visiting. We had some dinner and then uh...we had sex and afterwards, when he thought I was asleep, he went out into the hall and called his "sister"." She made air quotation marks. " I caught him talking dirty to her. So, I grabbed my baseball bat, made y presence known and threw him out on his ass. " She looked up at Tiago but his expression was unreadable, his eyes on the stew she was stirring but they were much harsher than before, having taken on a steel edge. He swore long and coldly in what Ema identified as Spanish before he looked at her.

" I'm very sorry Emanuelle. " Ema shrugged.

" It's in the past. And hey, at least I got his clothes! The coward didn't even dare to come back for them. He's probably still working up the courage." Tiago smirked, a thoughtful expression on his face.

" When was this? " She looked surprised at the question.

" Hm? Oh, about four months ago. " He nodded, storing the information for later use. " Why are you so interested anyway? You barely know me. " He smiled charmingly at her.

" I wish to know more about the one I owe my life to." Ema narrowed her eyes at him, he had a strange glint in his eye.

" But is that really all it is? Cheesy lines in all their rights but still? You seem like the kind of man to collect information in order to prepare for a later threat. Is that what you're doing? Taking precautions?" The silence was complete. Tiago no longer looked so amused, more like intrigued.

" You're an insightful lady aren't you? That mouth of yours could get you into a lot of trouble one day. " She arched an eyebrow.

" Is that a threat? **Tiago**? " It felt like a spaghetti western standoff, both ready to pull their guns and shoot the other to little pieces. He smiled, a broad dangerous smile that showed a predator at work. Despite herself Ema swallowed and the smile widened.

" No no, my dear. Merely a friendly warning. So, what's for dinner, darling? "

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Please review! :D


	4. Chapter 4

I'm really glad I'm not the only one who is hooked on the dangerous but handsome Raoul Silva! Thank you so much for the lovely reviews! Keep it up and I will try to as well!

Enjoy!

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Chapter 4

Dinner turned out to be a very interesting experience. You see, Emanuelle is a girl who likes her food spicy. She's got whole collections of unusual recipes from foreign lands but one should never allow her near the kitchen if she is nervous. Unfortunately, neither Tiago, who has only known Ema for about 24 hours, or Ema herself were aware of these things. It had not been a problem until Tiago waltzed into her life, and if it is one thing he is good at it is making. Her. Nervous! So nervous in fact that she forgot that she had already added the chili's, the nutmeg and worst of all, the cumin. The results were utterly catastrophic!

Not that it wasn't tasty or anything, oh no, the flavour was somehow still in tact and absolutely delicious but to get to it you had to get past the hot searing effect the sauce had on your tongue. As she stood coughing by the sink Ema thought back, rechecking the recipe. In between coughs she rambled.

" I don't understand! It's never turned out like this before! What the hell happened?! It's practiaclly inedible! " Behind her Tiago was having an altogether different experience.

" I can't help but disagree. This is simply delicious Ema! I haven't eaten something like this in many many years!" Ema turned on the spot, staring at him in disbelief. He was practically shovelling the food in while somehow retaining proper etiquette. He, A: ate like he hadn't had a proper meal since the day he was born, and B: he was eating it at all?! At that pace! And he liked it? Ema later realized she must have looked akin to an owl, standing there with large eyes, blinking at his as he sat by her kitchen table, eating her inedible food.

Tiago looked up at her and had to hold in his laughter.

" As adorable as you look with that expression, my dear, I am not lying to you. This is a delicious meal. " Slowly she returned to the table, her glass of water refilled, and sat down. Warily and with deliberate caution she took another bite. Chewing she swallowed it, managing to hold her expression for exactly fifteen seconds before she chugged form her glass, the spices searing her sensitive taste buds. She heard Tiago laugh and get up and open her fridge, and a minute later he replaced her water with a glass of milk. Ema drunk greedily, finding that it quenched the flames. She felt one of his hands brushing her back soothingly and she hid her blush behind the glass.

" Ema, truly it is not that spicy. If you think this is bad you would never survive the Sri Lankan cuisine. Ema looked up at him in horror, simultaneously realizing how tall he seemed from her position on the chair.

" You mean that people eat food like this, stronger food than this, willingly?" Tiago chuckled.

" For breakfast, lunch and dinner. Now, do you have any canned coconut milk? " Ema looked at him strangely but nodded.

" Yes, in the uh, lower left cupboard." Tiago took the casserole containing the stew, putting it back on the stove and heating it once more. " What are you doing?" He proceeded to open a jar of canned coconut milk.

" This should make it a bit milder for you, sooth the spices. " Once the stew was hot once more he poured the coconut milk in and stirred. It took on a lighter shade of brown than before but it looked good, and the smell was more like the one Ema had been going for in the first place. Tiago turned the heat down and put a lid on it. " We should let that boil for a few minutes. " Ema studied him curiously, leaning her right hip against the tile.

" I didn't know you cooked. "

" Are you surprised?" Tiago mirrored her, arms crossed. She shrugged.

" A little, most men don't, even in our age. " He smiled mysteriously.

" Well, I do a lot of things that would probably surprise you." For some reason, she had no idea why, Ema found a blush creep onto her cheeks. He smirked at her. " You blush a lot, Ema. Did you know that it suits you? " His hands lifted the lid for a moment, stirring the stew, but his eyes remained fixed on her, a look of concentration on his face. As if he was trying to see just what she was thinking. Her blush deepened. Damn this man.

" Uh, no. " She cleared her throat, averting her eyes to her fingers trailing the pattern of the stone that made up the top of the tile. " Does it?" She felt warm fingers cup her chin, tilting it back up so that her eyes met his.

" Very much so, Emanuelle." He stared searchingly into her eyes for a few more moments before pulling away, turning the heat off and serving her a new plate of stew and rice. Pulling out her chair for her as she made to sit, pushing it back in for her, he remained behind her, his hands resting on her shoulders. Suddenly she felt his breath on her exposed neck, his voice by her right ear. She could smell him, a strange warm scent that seemed undefinable but utterly him. " So, what's the verdict?" Ema licked her lips and took a bite, closing her eyes at the now milder taste.

" Mmm, it's perfect." She could almost feel his smile against her cheek and she gasped lightly when his lips found her skin just to the right of her eye, lingering for no longer than a second before he pulled away completely, returning to his own seat, returning to his meal with an odd little smile on his face, a far away look in his eyes. The rest of the meal they were both consumed by their thoughts, each wondering what would happen next.

Later, after they had done the dishes, Ema took out the med kit again. Tiago groaned.

" Tiago, don't be like that. You look like a little boy. " She pushed him down on his chair in the kitchen (since the first time he sat in it to Ema it was from then on undeniably His Chair.) and tugged on the shirt a bit. " This needs to come off." Tiago smirked and Ema immediately realized her mistake.

" Oh Ema, if you wanted me naked all you had to do was ask." He raised his eyebrows teasingly before her disappeared behind beige cloth as he removed the shirt. She rolled her eyes.

" Turn around."

" Yes madam." She glared at the back of his head for a moment before she set to work on removing the bandage.

" Well, the wound looks fine, the stitches are okay. Do you feel any nausea, strange pain or anything else out of the ordinary?" She felt lightly around the wound but sensed nothing to cause her any alarm.

" Nothing. "

" Okay. I think what I interpreted as an infection was really just your body's way of reacting to the shock of the injuries and the sudden change in temperature. You seem fine now." She replaced the dressing, but she found her hands brushing against some of the other scars on his back. She had expected him to tense up but he didn't. She took her gloves off and let her fingers brush feather like against one long curved scar but he sat perfectly still, relaxed. But soon Ema caught herself and stepped back from the scarred man in front of her, turning around to pack up. The thick silence was sliced by Tiago.

" It's okay to ask. It is human nature to be curious. " Ema shook her head to herself as he turned around. A strange calm emitted from his voice, she had never heard anything like it.

" It's none of my business. I would feel like I was trespassing on your past. I have no right to ask you to remember what was obviously a series of...painful experiences. "

" And if the answers were offered willingly? Freely." Ema halted her movements, pursing her lips in thought.

" Maybe. "

" But? I'm sensing a But here, Ema." She turned to look at him, stroking a stray hair from his eyes, her thumb smoothing over his left eyebrow.

" But, it is really not important. Not now at least. " She turned away, making to leave for the bathroom before a hand stopped her by the elbow. Her eyes followed the course of the limb from fingers, wrist, forearm, elbow, upper arm, shoulder( one very strong shoulder), a strong neck to a pair of concerned brown seemed to be contemplating something.

" Would you stay with me tonight?" Ema's eyebrows shot up. " Not like you're thinking right now, just to keep the nightmares away. I very rarely sleep and when I do I dream. It is not a pleasant experience and it would help very much if I was not alone when I woke up, so that I know I am not back where I was before." Ema was tempted to ask where that was and what he had done before she found him staggering across Scotland, bleeding to death, but she found that right now it was irrelevant. He was here now, a man with countless scars of different shapes and sizes and he was asking for her help. How many had not waltzed in and took it for granted? She nodded, putting her hand on his forearm in return.

" Alright." He took her hand in his and kissed the back of it.

" Thank you Emanuelle."

" Just let me change into something else. I'll just be a moment." He let her go. Ten minutes later she was crawling in beside him clad in an oversized t-shirt. She kept a respectable distance to him and turned the other way while he lay on his back.

" Good night Tiago. " She hear his deep voice answer in the darkness.

" Good night, sweet Emanuelle." Soon enough she felt herself drifting off and in her half-awake, half-asleep state she didn't completely register when she turned over, snuggling up to the warm body beside her to escape from the cold. With her head resting on a strong bicep and her shin against his leg she fell asleep just as two arms encircled her waist, both of them resting in the veiled luminescence of a waning crescent moon.

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Any thoughts?


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Ema awoke slowly. She became aware of her breathing first. It was calm and even. She felt comfortably warm. Odd. She usually felt freezing when she woke up in the morning. Speaking of waking up, why hadn't her alarm clock rung yet? With no recollection of throwing it violently into the wall the morning before she wondered if she had simply awakened before it. But no, she never ever does that. So what then? Her still sluggish mind tried desperately to keep up. What was different about this picture?

Tiago took that moment to groan in his sleep, tugging her closer in the process. It was then that Ema remembered how she had fallen asleep, in Tiago's bed, but how had she come to lie with her head on his chest, right arm curled beneath herself and her hand holding the top of his upper arm, her legs entwined with his, left arm wrapped abound his torso? He in turn had his arms wrapped around her, one hand curling over her ribs and the other around one of her hip bones. Her shirt had ridden up during the night and she could feel the bare skin of his stomach against her equally bare abdomen. Thankfully her chest was still covered, but only just. She could feel him braw deep breaths, still very much asleep, and Ema knew that if she moved now she would stir him. And Tiago needed his sleep, she knew that much.

So she kept her body relaxed and let her left hand fingers softly explore the scars on his chest, absentmindedly following the random patterns. She thought back on the evening before, wondering herself why she didn't want to ask about the scars. They were interesting of course! Who wouldn't be curious of their background? But something stopped her from asking, even after he had made it clear that it was "human nature to be curious."

She lifted her head to rest her chin on his pectoralis, studying his face for a while. After a few minutes of close observation Ema took notice of the left side of his face. The part where his upper jaw should be looked...odd. Some sort of prosthetic perhaps? Another painful secret?

Ema slowly let her hand drift upwards to finally brush lightly over his upper lip, fingertips travelling softer than a breath up to just below his cheekbone, pressing down ever so slightly.

The next second she found herself on her back on the floor, the wind knocked straight out of her, with Tiago above her. But he didn't look quite awake yet, almost like he was still sleeping! His fingers were wrapped expertly around her throat, cutting off her circulation while the other hand held her hands against the floor above her head in a vicelike grip that was sure to leave bruises. She tried kicking at him but his legs kept hers down. She was well and truly screwed. Her voice was quickly leaving her but she had a bit of air left.

" Tiago! It's me! Ema! Ti-go! " Her hips pushed against his in a useless attempt at throwing him off. The floor was digging into her shoulder-blades but the feeling went forgotten as black spots filled her vision. She got one more look at him, eyelids open but eyes asleep, before it all went black. _'So this is what it's like.'_

She awoke to the distressed tones of a man's voice. Man? What man? Her mind scrambled to find it's parts and rebuild itself, pieces slowly fitting together.

" Ema?! Come on darling, you're killing me here! Ema! " Slowly she pried her eyes open, looking up into a pair of worried chocolate brown orbs. " Oh thank god!" She felt for her throat only to find an icepack there instead of skin. Still disoriented she looked around before studying Tiago again, the full events hitting her like a ton of bricks. Out of instinct rather than will she hurried to scramble away, falling off of the bed she had been lying on in the process. The icepack fell to the floor and with her back to the wall Ema's frightened eyes found Tiago's worried ones. She took in his posture on the bed, he looked nothing but concerned. Closing her eyes she took a few deep breaths and then looked at him again, a gentle look in her eyes.

" Tiago, could you help me up? I'm still a little groggy." Before she had finished the sentence he was lifting her up onto the bed again, resting her back against the pillowed headrest. He sat across from her, picking up the icepack to hold against her sore throat. " I'm sorry I scrambled off so abruptly, it was more instinct than on purpose, I assure you. " While still raspy Tiago could hear the calm in her voice. He bit his lips before chuckling slightly.

" You're actually apologizing? No one has ever said sorry for being afraid of me before." A split second later he caught what he had said and she looked up at him with a curious expression that he couldn't really place.

" And have a lot of people had a reason to fear you, Tiago?" He looked almost sheepish.

" They usually have multiple reasons. " She raised an eyebrow.

" "Usually"? That means a lot of people, doesn't it?" He nodded. " So why am I still alive?"

" A better question would be why you're still not running away screaming bloody murder, or kicking me out, or running for the phone or even a shotgun, and I know you have one. But you're not doing any of those things. No, instead you ask me to help you up again. You are one strange woman, Emanuelle." She smiled at him, cautiously reaching a hand up to brush against his left cheek.

" Why did This set you off? What are you hiding beneath your skin?" Tiago sighed, leaning slightly into her hand before grabbing it with his, directing the fingers until they pressed against a harsh edge beneath the cheek. Ema gasped, adding a few more fingers to get a sense of the foreign object. Tiago answered her unasked question.

" It's a prosthetic. It covers my whole upper jaw and parts of my left cheekbone, making up for... missing pieces." Her fingers traced the edges of it, tears filling her eyes when she realized the full size of it. She swallowed, asking her first dreaded question about his past.

" How did it happen?" She looked up at him, worried she had asked the wrong thing, but he smiled gently, his hand still holding hers while it explored his jaw.

" Long story short, I bit into a capsule of hydrogen cyanide." Ema's hand trembled.

" But...isn't that a form of suicide? It should have killed you! " He pulled her hand away, resting it between his own two, tracing the bones softly.

" It is. It was a last resort. I was tortured, had been tortured for many months-"

" How long?" He looked up at her, surprised.

" Five months precisely. " She let out a sob, eyes wide and filled to the brim with liquid. " The cyanide was a last resort. And yes, it was supposed to have killed me, put me out of my misery. But it didn't. Instead, I lived. I reacted to your touch because no one but myself has touched that part of me since the doctors put the prosthetic in for the first time. You surprised me is all. I'm very sorry for how I reacted but, like your flight, it was based on instinct, not will. I am truly sorry Emanuelle. " He bent his head down and kissed her hand, lingering for several seconds, causing a blush to bloom across her cheeks. When he looked up at her he smiled a full smile, the back of his hand caressing her cheek. " And you are still blushing. Whatever am I going to do with you?" A million inappropriate thoughts flooded Ema's head and her blush deepened. This close she could see Tiago's eyes shifting to a deeper shade of brown in response. Biting her lower lip for a second or two Ema succumbed to the will of her body, burying a hand in his thick hair to pull him into a soft but urgent kiss.

He responded instantly, both his hands gently holding the sides of her head, his thumbs brushing over her eyes and cheeks as his lips moved against hers slowly, enticingly. It didn't last long and as they parted Tiago grabbed her lower lip between his teeth, tugging slightly, before kissing her chastely once more. Ema looked up at him, leaning up to press her lips against his cheek where his prosthetic was the most prominent behind the skin. He shuddered slightly, running his nose along the side of her neck to elicit the same reaction from her. His lips found her temple, then her forehead as his fingers ran through her red hair that looked like fire in sunlight. He pulled away and they studied each other. Tiago's eyes settled on her throat where the beginnings of a hand-shaped bruise was forming and he stroked it gently with a finger before swooping down to press kisses to the purple skin. It was very sensitive and Ema leaned her head back, the sensation causing a low moan to emit from her, making Tiago smirk against her flesh.

She tugged at his hair as he pressed his lips against the skin behind her ear, but the moment was interrupted by a loud knock at the front door. Tiago turned his head to glare at the door to guest room which led to the hall beyond. A male voice could be heard shouting in an attempt to sound authoritative, but they could both hear the nerves behind it.

" Em?! I-I've come to pick up my clothes! " Tiago chuckled darkly against her throat, a sound that both aroused and worried Ema. She let her head fall back into the pillows and the palm of Tiago's hand, an annoyed sigh reaching her lips.

" Malcolm. "

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Please review! :)


	6. Chapter 6

I just can't seem to stop writing on this one! Good god, the person who originally created the character Tiago Rodrigez/Raoul Silva is a genius! Along with the person who casted Javier Bardem to portray him!

Here ya go! I hope you enjoy reading about Tiago scaring the crap out of people! (I know I do.)

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Chapter 6

" So. Malcolm. You survived the snow storm."

" Yeah, it took me twenty minutes to get the car running properly. I know you could hear me pounding the door for help! But did you help? No! You didn't. So now I want those clothes back. You owe me that much." Ema's eyebrows shot up.

" I owe You? Are you serious?" He stood stock still, arms crossed over his chest. " You're serious! You are ACTUALLY serious! This is just stellar, this is! You come out here, I cook a nice dinner, we have sex, for the first time I might add!, and fifteen minutes later you're in the living room talking dirty to some tramp on the phone. And Now, four months after I well and properly kicked you out of this house and my life, you have the nerve to come here and tell me that I OWE YOU?!" Malcolm had become red in the face, fists clenched by his sides. He looked similar to a volcano that's about to erupt.

" Yes! You OWE Me! I took pity on you, a lone girl fresh from London, looking for a friendly face. Besides, who else would date someone like you? I mean you practically live out into the wild! You only ever come into town when you absolutely have to. You're the Frankensteins monster of Scotland, you know that?! Just look at your neck! You're probably into that sick bondage fetish-" A deep and dangerously calm voice interrupted him.

" She what? " Malcolm stopped his tirade, trying to see into the darkness of Ema's house to spot more of the large imposing figure that was silently but casually approaching. " No please, you were just about to say something when I interrupted you. " Malcolm buffed himself up, it reminded Ema of a blowfish. Same technique. Make yourself look bigger and the enemy just might not mess with you. Too bad for Malcolm that Tiago didn't need to try to make himself look bigger just to look threatening. Malcolm feared him before he had even seen his eyes.

" Well I...uh, was about to say that...uh-"

" You were about to insult this woman, and not for the first time this sole minute. What does that make you hm? The no.1 coward of Scotland? If you really wanted your clothes back you would have come here four months ago, not now. No no no, Now, you just came here to gloat and make Emanuelle miserable. Correct?" Tiago walked into the light, gently laying a hand against Ema's tense back muscles. Malcolm hesitated.

"I'll take that as a yes. And I can't allow that. I won't do anything drastic in from of Ema, and I don't exactly hate you yet so hurting you would only turn out to be problematic. No, hate builds slowly, steadily, by repeated conflicts. I won't hurt you, but let's just say that if you were on fire and I had water, I would drink it. So now, would you kindly remove yourself from this woman's property before we find ourselves in such a situation, yes?" The question was no less than an unspoken command.

During Tiago's speech Malcolm had grown increasingly smaller, and smaller, and smaller. You could see his ego deflating, his arrogance turning into what it really was: Cowardice. As Tiago had slowly come closer Malcolm had proceeded to shrink away from where he had been standing on the door mat to almost a third of the way back to his car. Ema, who had been listening just as intently as Malcolm, felt her body tense up as if it was she he was threatening. Tiago's hand had wrapped around her waist, carefully, and gently pulled her to him. In the end, since he had subtly move forward, Tiago was almost standing slightly in front of her, as if he was protecting her. Now when he was quiet Ema finally noticed their position and felt Tiago exhale in relief when she relaxed against him, allowing him to wrap his arm around her more firmly.

Malcolm looked just about ready to pee his pants. He was pale and stiff as a board, eyelids retracted in fear and she could see him clench and unclench his hands like most people do when their palms are sweaty. Malcolm was frightened for his life, and the only thing Tiago had to do was talk to him. Nodding in understanding he cautiously backed away from them, never letting his eyes off Tiago, and he didn't dare look at Ema.

Tiago and Ema stood there, watching as his car drove away. She sagged against him, wrapping an arm around his back in return to steady herself.

" Thank you Tiago, but wasn't that a bit unnecessary?" He looked down at her, face relaxed.

" What do you mean?"

" I mean, did you have to scare the living daylights out of the poor guy? He could barely even get himself together enough to start that monstrosity he calls a car. " Tiago turned serious, looking out over the moors.

" You clearly didn't see his fists." Ema's eyebrows furrowed.

" His fists? They were clenched but that doesn't mean anything. Everyone does that when they're angry. "

" No, they were slowly clenching tighter and tighter. His stance was changing. Do you know what that means?" He looked down at her. She shook her head no. " He, or his body, was preparing to hit you. I had to make myself known or he would have hurt you Ema. " He looked away once more.

" You moved in front of me to protect me. You weren't sure if he was gonna fight or flee so you moved in front of me in case he chose the former. " Tiago looked lost in thought.

" I..haven't had anyone to protect since...I can't even remember the last person I protected out of sheer will. I trust you, and I care what happens to you. So yes, I protected you. " Ema chewed on her lower lip.

" You don't owe me anything. I hope you understand that. " She moved back inside. Tiago spun around on the spot and followed her. They ended up in the kitchen, Ema clutching the tile to death with her back against Tiago who was standing in the middle of the room, looking at her hunched form.

" You think this is about debt? I know I owe you my life but not everything I do with you is to free myself from obligation. Helping you with the stew, asking you to stay with me so that I might be free from nightmares for the first time in twenty years, kissing you. Do you think of those things as currency?" He wasn't yelling. He hadn't even raised his voice. It was the sound of an honest man with nothing to hide. Ema whirled around, tears in her eyes.

" Of course I don't! How could I?! It's just...I know you are a dangerous man, to many you are probably an evil man, and yet you treat me with more respect, more gentleness and more honesty than any "good" man I have ever met! Why is that?! Why would someone like you be so kind to me if not out of obligation?" Her voice had grown quiet, a stillness settling over the house as it faded away into silence.

Tiago was staring at her, searching her eyes like he seemed to do so often. Suddenly he took two long steps towards her, bringing her to him with shaking hands until there wasn't a millimetre of space between them. Her arms wrapped around his torso, going underneath his arms, grabbing his shirt like her life depended on it. Tiago used one hand to gently grab the back of her head to tilt it back, giving him easy access to her lips. His lips teased hers, coaxing them open before his tongue plundered her warm cavern, exploring every crevice, tasting her essence. They only broke apart once they were both dizzy from a lack of air and Ema kissed his clavicle as he buried his nose in her hair, breathing her in as she did the same.

" I may have gone a little too far, but I didn't want him to come back. One interruption I can tolerate, but two? Unfrogivable." Ema laughed against his skin at this.

" And if he calls the police? Saying that Frankensteins monster and a man threatening to burn him alive were living out in the edges of the Scottish civilization. What then Tiago?" He hummed against her, biting her neck lightly, smirking when she moaned and clutched at his shirt.

" One interruption at a time my dear."


End file.
